Sinker-wheel mechanism.



W. T.. BARRATT.

SINKER WHEEL MEQHANISM.

APPLLCATION FILED, IAN- 13.1914.

1,191,937. Patented July 25,1916.

2 SHEETS-LSHEET 1.

onrrngn srnras PATENT curios;

WILLIAM T. BARRATT, OF BENNINGTON, VERMONT, ASSIGNOB, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OFONE-THIRD TO ALEXANDER J. COOPER, TWO-THIRDS TOELIZABETH COOPER S'I'ODDARD, BOTH OF BENNINGTON, VERMONT.

SINKER-WHEEL MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. BARRATT, a citizen of the United States,residing ,at Bennington, in the county of Bennington and State ofVermont, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sinker-WheelMechanism, of which the following is a specification I This inventionrelates to an improved sinker wheel mechanism and embodies a sinkerwheel mechanism which is set forth in a companion application filed byme Oc tober 19, 1912, Serial No. 726,668, together withvimproved yarnguiding means.

The object of the invention is to provid a sinker wheel mechanism whichwill pick up the loose end of a yarn leading from a yarn guide and feedthe same to the needles of a knitting machine.

The device of this invention is particularly adapted to be used inmachines in.

of picking up the loose free ends of the yarns from the yarn guideswithout its being necessary to hold-said free ends, and this isaccomplished by moving the yarn guide downwardly across the outer endsof the sinkers, so that said yarn will lie diagonally across theperiphery of the sinkerwheel and ends of the sinkers from the top to thebottom of said wheel. The sinkers are preferably made with theprojections on the 11ppor ends of some of saidsinkers longer than theprojections on the sinkers adjacent thereto in accordance with myinvention set forth in said application for Letters Patent and morespecifically set forth and claimed in a divisional application of saidcase filed byrme January 2, 1914, Serial No. 809,897. The yarn guidesare alternately moved so that the free ends of the yarns will begathered in by said projections on said sinkers and carried intoalinement with the remainder of the sinkers, whereupon said free ends ofthe yarns will be fed to the needles of the machine. In order, howeverto be absolutely certain that the yarn shall be picked up in the mannerdescribed by said Patented July 25, 19516.

sinkers and-fed. to the needles, it is desirable that. the-free end ofthe yarn guide which is in operation should first be moved down- -wardlybelow the lower edges of the sinkers in order vthat the yarnmay liediagonally across the periphery of the sinker wheel and its sinkers andthus render it absolutely sure that the yarn shall be taken by thesinkers and fed to the needles, but in thus positioning thevyarn guideto secure the result set forth there is a possibility, in the operationof the machine, that the yarn having a loose free end may get underneaththe lower edges of the advancing sinkers and thus cause trouble, and toprevent this accident happening is the particular object of this inv,en-

In order to prevent such an accident I combine with the sinker wheel andthe movable yarn guides a stationary yarn guide which is located beneathsaid movable vyarn guides and has its outer end curved upwardly betweensaid sinkers and the outer ends of said movable yarn guides, when saidyarn guides are depressed, the upper end of said stationary yarn guidebeing also located between the sinkers and the needles adjacent f to thesinker wheel, so that when one of the movable yarn guides is depressed,said stationary yarn guide prevents the yarn which at that time is ledfrom said depressed mov- V able yarn guide to the upper edges of thesinkers diagonally across the periphery of the sinker wheel, fromaccidentally becoming displaced and dropping beneath the sinkers.

The invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts setforth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in theclaims thereof, said invention referring specifically, however, to

the stationaryyarn guide and its relative position tothe yarn guides andsinkers.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly insection, of a portion of a circular knitting machine with my improvedstationary yarn guide and movable yarn guides shown inconnection-therewith,the sinkers of the sinker wheel which projectbetween the needlesbeing shownin section. Figs. 2 and 3 aresectionalelevations illustrating the movable yarn guides in differentpositions relatively to the sinkers. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation ofa portion of a circular knitting machine with my improved sinker wheelmechanism and sta tionary yarn guide attached thereto. Fig. 5 is asectional plan of the sinker wheel with the yarn guides and a portion ofa needle cylinder shown in connection therewith, together with thecutters which are also shown in section. Fig. 6 is a detail section ofmy improved stationary yarn guide showing the same in position withrelation to a sinker and with relation to the yarn which is being guidedto said sinker. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of one form of sinker. Fig.8 is a front elevation of another form of sinker.

Like numerals refer to like views throughout the several views of thedrawings.

Inthe drawings, 10 and 11 are the needle cylinders and 12 and 13 theneedles thereon. Said needles are operated to slide in grooves in theneedle cylinders in a manner well known to those skilled in the art.

The sinker wheel 14 is substantially the same in construction andoperation as that set forth in Patent No. 864,354 issued to me August27, 1907, to which reference may be had. Said sinker wheel is rotated bymeans of a gear 15 which meshes into the needles 12 and is driventhereby. The sinkers 16 and 17 are moved in the grooves of the sinkerwheel by the rotation of said sinker wheel and by a cam 18 which isfastened to a stud 19 supported upon a stand 20, this stand beingfastened to a bracket 21 which, in turn, is fastened to the frame 22 ofthe machine.

The particular construction and arrangement of the sinkers 16 and 17whereby the loose end of the yarn is carried by the sinkers 17 into thepath of the other sinkers 16 and in between the needles is particularlyset forth in said application for Letters Patent.

In this embodiment of my invention the movable yarn guides are two innumber, 23

and 24, the yarn guide 23 consisting of a thin strip of metal fastenedby a screw 25 to a hub 26. Said yarn guide is fastened as a whole to arock-shaft 27 adapted to rock in suitable bearings in a" bracket 28which is, in turn, fastened to the frame of the machine. A rockingmotion is imparted to the rock-shaft 27 by suitable mechanism (not shownin the drawings) but fully described and illustrated in said applicationfor Letters Patent No. 726,668, and by rocking the shaft 27 a verticalrocking movement may be imparted to the yarn guide 23. The yarn guide 24consists, also, of a thin strip of metal which is fastened by a screw 30to a rocking movement is imparted by suitable mechanism (not shown inthe drawings but also shown in said application for Letters Patent No.726,668.)

A suitable tension device 34 is fastened to the bracket 28 intermediatethe yarn guides and the bobbins from which the supply of yarn isobtained. This tension device serves the purpose of preventing the yarnfrom feeding too freely to the yarn guides, and also after the yarn hasbeen out by the severing device hereinbefore referred to it prevents theweight of the yarn from the bobbin pulling said yarn out of position tobe operated upon when it is desired to again feed the same to theneedles.

It will be understood that when one of the yarn guides carries itsrespective yarn out of operative position relatively to the needles,said yarn is cut off, and this cutting operation is performed by acutting mechanism consisting of a stationary blade 36 and a movableblade 37. The movable blade is operated by suitable mechanism, not shownin the drawings but fully illustrated in said application Serial No.726,668.

In order to prevent the free end of the yarn after it has been severedby the cutting mechanism from springing upwardly and being thrown overone of the yarn guides 23 or 24, the yarn guard 38 is provided which isfastened to a needle support 39 which, in turn, is fast-to a bracket 40.When the yarn is cut by the mechanism hereinbefore described, the freeend of said yarn will drop downwardly into substantially the positionillustrated in Figs. 3 and 5 and the yarn thus cut off is held out ofthe path of the sinkers by the raised position of its respective yarnguide.

In order to insure the yarn being fed to the needles when a movable yarnguide is lowered and in proper position therefor a certain number of thesinkers, namely, the sinkers 17 are constructed with a projection 41thereon. This projection 41 is provided on each of the sinkers 17 andextends beyond the outer ends of the sinkers 16 adjacent thereto.Preferably every fourth sinker is made with the projection 41 inaccordance with the construction illustrated in Fig. 8, while the othersinkers are made in the usual manner and as illustrated in Fig. 7. Thusa plurality of sinkers on the sinker wheel 14 have a projection on theirouter ends adjacent to the upper edge thereof, which projection islonger than the projections on the sinkers adjacent thereto andpreferably each of the sinkers is provided w1th two projections, 41 and42 on the sinkers 17 and 43 and 44 on the sinkers 16 with a notch 45between the ro'ections 41 t i l l2 hub 31 which, in turn, is fastened toa rock-I p 1 inc L shaft 32 adapted to rock in bearings provided in thebracket 28 and to which shaft a" .and a notch 46 between the projections43 and 44, the upper projection on the sinkers 17 bemg longer than thelower projection and longer than the upper projection on the ends of thesinkers 16.

A stationary yarn guide 47, which constitutes the specific embodiment ofthis invention, is fastened to a bracket 48, which bracket is fastenedto a cam bracket 49 to which the cam 50 for the primary needles isfastened. The stationary yarn guide 47 is located, therefore, beneaththe yarn guides 23 and 24 and projects upwardly, terminat ing in a freeend 51 which is located between the outer ends of the sinkers and theneedles and constructed and arranged to bridge the space between saidsinkers and the adjacent needles in said cylinder in close proximity tothe intermeshing point of said sinkers and said needles, or moreparticularly the needles which are about to cooperate with said sinkersto receive the yarn from said sinkers, said free end being also locatedbetween the sinkers and the outer ends of the yarn guides 23 and 24, asclearly indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6.

The yarn guides 23 and 24 during the diflerent movements of the knittingmachine occupy four positions indicated as (Z, 6, f and g in Figs. 2 and3. During the operation of the machine when one of the movable yarnguides is in operative position and the other tion 6 is out of operativeposition and the yarn is hanging down with its free end lying along thetops of the sinkers. When the change in the position of the yarn guideshereinbefore described occurs, the yarn guide occupying the position iscarried upwardly to the position d, thus carrying the yarn between thecutters ready to be cut. Immediately after arriving at the position (Zthe yarn guide will drop to the position 6 and at this time the severingof the yarn will take place. While this operation is taking place withone of the yarn guides, the other yarn guide will move from the position6 to the position 9 and this carries the free end of the yarn down intothe position illustrated in Fig. 2, so that it will extend di-' agonallyacross the periphery of the sinker Wheel and across the ends of thesinkers thereon. It will also engage the upper free end 51 of thestationary yarn guide 47 and will thus be kept from passing beneath thelower edges of the sinkers, while at the same time, as the sinker wheelrotates, the sinkers will be brought around until the projection 41 onthe sinker 17 will engage the yarn and carry it forward in the path ofthe sinkers which follow adjacent thereto. As soon as the yarn has beenengaged by said projection 41 and carried into the path of the sinkersthe yarn guide will rise from the position 9 to the position f and theyarn will 7 lower edges of the sinkers 16 and 17 pass through this notchwhile the yarn 53 will bear against the upper edge 51 of the sta tionaryyarn guide 47 when the movable yarn guide 23 or 24, as the case may be,is in the position 9 (Fig. 2).

The different positions of the yarn guides are obtained by means ofsuitable cams em bodied in the mechanism whereby the movable yarn guidesare. operated, and in said operation the movable yarn guide is firstraised to the position d and then dropped to the position a, the purposeof this throw being to insure the yarn being lifted out of the path ofthe needles while said yarn is out of operation and the returning slightmovement of the yarn guide to the position 6 is for the purpose ofgiving said yarn slack while it is being cut by the cutters 36 and 37.

It will be understood that after the yarn has been severed the loose endthereof will fall approximately into the position illustrated in Fig. 3,the free end of the yarn falling over the ends of the sinkers and alongtheir upperedges. After the yarn has been severed, as hereinbefore setforth, if the free end should fly upwardly instead of fallingdownwardly, then said free end would strike the yarn guard 38, whichwould keep said free end from being thrown over the yarn guides 23 or24, as the case may be, and subsequently the free end of the yarn woulddrop down into the position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 and along theupper edges of the sinkers. Each time that the yarn guides changeposition one yarn is cut oil by the cutters.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire by LettersPatent to secure is:

1. A circular knitting machine having, in combination, a needlecylinder, a set of needles therefor, a sinker wheel, a plurality ofsinkers adapted to slide in grooves thereon, a cam adapted to move saidsinkers in and out between said needles, a movable yarn guide adapted toguide yarn having a loose end extending therefrom into line with theends of said sinkers, mechanism adapted to move said movable yarn guideinto and out of alinement with said ends of said sinkers and astationary yarn guide interposed between the outer end of said movableyarn guide and said sinkers, said stationary yarn guide beingconstructed and arranged to bridge the space between said sinkers andthe nearer of said needles and immediately adjacent to and in advance ofthe sinker which is about to be advanced, whereby said loose end may beguided to said sinkers and by said sinkers fed to said needles.

2. A circular knitting machine having, in combination, a needlecylinder, a set of needles therefor, a sinker wheel, a plurality ofsinkers adapted to slide in grooves thereon, a cam adapted to move saidsinkers in and out between said needles, a movable yarn guide adapted toguide yarn having a loose end extending therefrom into line with theends of said sinkers, mechanism adapted to move said movable yarn guideinto and out of alinement with said ends of said sinkers and astationary yarn guide lo cated beneath said movable yarn guide andhaving a free end projecting upwardly and terminating between the outerend of said movable yarn guide and said sinkers, and between saidsinkers and the needles adjacent said sinkers and in close proximity tothe intermeshing point of said sinkers with said needles, whereby saidloose end may be guided to said sinkers and by said sinkers fed to saidneedles.

3. A circular knitting machine having, in

combination, a needle cylinder, a set of needles therefor, a sinkerwheel, a plurality of sinkers adapted to slide in grooves thereon, a camadapted to move said sinkers in and out between said needles, a movableyarn guide adapted to guide yarn having a loose end extending therefrominto line with the ends of said sinkers, mechanism adapted to move saidmovable yarn guide into and out of alinement with said ends of saidsinkers and a stationary yarn guide terminating in a free end locatedbetween the outer ends of said movable yarn guide and said sinkers andbetween the outer ends of said sinkers and said needles, and constructedand arranged to bridge the space between said sinkers and said needles,whereby said loose end may be guided to said sinkers and by said sinkersfed to said needles.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM T. BARRATT. Witnesses:

CHARLES S. Knnon, ANNA V. MURPHY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Batents,

Washington, D. C.

